Key Resources & Tools

dynamic-list

There are many housing options available to Harvard Law School students: on-campus (HLS residence halls and apartments), Harvard University Housing (Harvard-Owned Real Estate apartments), and off-campus (privately owned and operated living situations). Each option carries its own set of pros and cons in relation to start up and monthly costs, location, and amenities. Whichever option you choose, we strongly recommend that you thoroughly work through the various impacts your decision will have. Careful consideration of your housing decisions and their financial consequences at the beginning of the moving process are likely to pay off in the long-term in lowered stress levels and a more pleasant and productive HLS experience.

The HLS JD Student Budget is designed to accommodate a moderate style of living. For 2019-20, the 9-month (Sept – May) budget for Room/Board/Personal expenses is approximately $2,824/month. (Please note that the 9-month academic year in this calculation does not include the 3-month summer working period.) For most of our students, living within this budget normally means living in one of the more economical HLS dorms, or finding a roommate situation where rent and housing expenses are shared with at least one other person.

How Much Rent is Too Much Rent?

In general, HLS students find that housing takes up the single largest part of their living budget. As a very general rule, we recommend that students plan to commit about 50% of their living expense budget to housing. In a recent budget survey, this was the average amount spent by HLS student respondents. Students should be wary of committing more than 60% of their personal expense budgets to housing costs, especially if they do not have access to any other resources except the student budget.

To break it down a bit further, a student who spends 60% of the Room/Board/Personal allowances budget on housing has about $39/day remaining to cover all other living expenses. This $39/day must cover not only food and outside utilities (internet, cell phone, data plan, etc.), but laundry, wardrobe, entertainment, personal costs, start up costs to establish a new household (security deposit, furniture, appliances, etc.) or other household costs, local travel expenses (public transit and/or automobile expenses), enrollment in the University Dental Blue plan (which is optional), any personal loan or credit card payments, and anything else not expressly covered by rent payments.

Some students do not realize until it is too late that they have allocated too much of their budget to housing and too little remains to cover other expenses. If you have questions or concerns about budgeting, please contact your financial aid officer. Budgeting is a learnable skill, and we can provide you with some tools to help you get started.

The on-campus residence halls consist of the Gropius Complex, Hastings Hall, and North Hall.

The range of rents runs from $7,599 to $16,504 per student for the 9-month 2018-19 academic year.

HLS APARTMENTS:

The HLS apartment complexes are made up of 1637 Massachusetts Avenue, Baker Hall, and 3 Mellen Street in Cambridge, adjacent to HLS.

The range of rents here runs from $13,413 to $19,394 per student for the 9-month 2018-19 academic year.

In order to better illustrate the impact that renting one of these units might have on your living finances, here is that information translated into the percentage of your monthly budget that would be committed to paying rent:

Please note than although all of these options are available to HLS students, the rent prices are not necessarily set with the HLS Room/Board/Personal allowance in mind. It is each student’s responsibility to determine whether the rent will be affordable. If you need help determining this, SFS is always glad to help. Please contact your financial aid officer with any questions.

Harvard University Housing (HUH)

Students who prefer apartment-style living have the option of applying to live in Harvard University Housing. These apartments also offer convenience of proximity to campus, rent inclusive of utilities, and no broker’s fees or other standard fees except for a refundable security deposit.

Harvard University Housing charges market rates for its rental units and are not subsidized in any way. These rates are determined independently of the HLS (or any other Harvard school’s) student expense budget.

There is an HLS block of Harvard University Housing at Terry Terrace and 29 Garden Street. The per student (per bedroom) rent charges for a two-bedroom apartment currently range from $1,293/month to $1,500/month and are subject to change. Generally speaking, students planning to live in Harvard University Housing should plan to have a roommate. Studio and one-bedroom HUH apartments are priced above a rate that is manageable under the HLS student expense budget.

Off-Campus Housing

The HLS Housing Office hosts a comprehensive discussion on the many considerations of off-campus housing here. Costs/factors to consider when deciding where to live include, but are not limited to, rent, utilities, start-up costs, location, roommates, realtors/brokers fees, and summer subletting options (see next section). Generally speaking, students planning to live in off-campus housing should plan to have a roommate. Studio and one-bedroom off-campus apartments are typically priced above a rate that is manageable under the HLS student expense budget.

Special Considerations (Start Up Costs, Summer Rent)

SFS receives a number of housing-related funding questions from 1Ls and Transfer students who are relocating, and from current students who are making summer preparations. These are the most common areas of concern:

Start Up Costs: SFS cannot adjust the standard student budget to accommodate relocating students’ start up expenses. These expenses include first and last months’ rent, security deposits, brokers’/realtors’ fees, or other deposits or fees associated with securing housing. Students should plan to pay these fees from funds they have allocated from the standard student expense budget.

Summer Rent: We cannot adjust the summer living allowance to accommodate two summer rent payments. This means that students should take care that their apartment leases or rental agreements have provisions that allow them to sublet during the summer months should their summer employment not be in the Boston area. If a student is unable to sublet their apartment for the summer, that student will be responsible for both rent payments. Students who are considering renting from HUH should take special care to make sure they fully understand the HUH subletting options and requirements. HUH provides a “sublet kit” to assist tenants with the processing of subletting their apartment to other qualified Harvard affiliates.